


Prey

by Hanthe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Blood and Gore, Bottom Harry, But he's also not taking anyone's shit, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Cute Harry Potter, Deviates From Canon, Explicit Sexual Content, Harry potter in the walking dead, Harry’s pretty, Hermione Granger Bashing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lori Grimes Bashing, M/M, Naive Harry Potter, Ron Weasley Bashing, Shane Walsh Bashing, Smart Harry Potter, Underage Sex, but he's a bit naive tho, heart of GOLD and fists of FURY, wouldn't say BAMF but he'll fight you if needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:54:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29560806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanthe/pseuds/Hanthe
Summary: Harry Potter thought the world was perhaps against him, he'd barely had a moment to breathe and exhale, maybe even smell the roses before he was once again in some kind of trouble. At this point, he began to wonder whether he truly was the 'hero' or rather some damsel in distress. He simply could not catch a break.It was quite frankly embarrassing, he thought, as he stared down the arrow of a crossbow into slated blue eyes, suspicion clear in their -admittedly quite lovely- depths.well, shit.He already knew, call it intuition, he was in for a ride.Here we go again.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Harry Potter
Comments: 85
Kudos: 304





	1. RECKONING

Prey

 **Disclaimer** : I don’t own Harry Potter or Walking Dead and no profit is being made from this fic.  
**Important note** : This will be my first full-fledged fic, I'm hoping to set a regular update time however at this given moment I'm not exactly certain when that shall be. I'm not from America nor have I ever been there so apologies in advance if any settings are not described completely accurately, feel free to let me know if something is incorrect and I will correct it.  
Pairing: Harry Potter/Daryl Dixon

* * *

> **CHAPTER ONE**

Harry opened his eyes sluggishly, a groan on the tip of his tongue before he thought better of it, clamping his teeth shut with a near-silent clack. A sound as little as a squeak could set his uncle off and Harry was doing quite fine with the bruises he already had. He peeled his cheek away from the car window, trying to block out the incessant chatter and jabbing from Dudley besides him - he would've thought Dudley to have grown up by now but clearly, that wasn't the case.

He couldn't bite down the swirling fury the thought of his family ignited within him, he was 16, Voldemort was dead, the war ended yet once again he was back to his infernal family. Dumbledore finding a way to dictate his life from beyond the grave was the nail in the metaphorical coffin of Harry’s cursed existence. So here he was, in some damned business car of the Dursleys driving away from anything he's ever known.

At least with his ‘loving’ family, Harry didn't have to deal with the blind hero worship Britain couldn't help but spew. However, with the Dursleys, he wasn't Harry Potter, not even the boy-who-lived just 'freak', 'boy', 'abomination' or the never-ending multitude of degenerating names his loving family came up with. Despite their loathing for imagination they never seemed to lack any in regards to insults for him, ironic.

The name-calling was something that rattled harry - grounded his gears, so to say. Even though he knew that the treatment inflicted upon him wasn't warranted and that he'd done nothing to deserve it, it was still dehumanising, still made him feel less than the dirt clinging to the bottom of uncle Vernon’s polished leather shoes.

Harry brushed his thumb over the two lordship rings on his right hand, to think two pieces of metal could unwind his whole damn life, the corner of his mouth upturned bitterly at the thought. Lordship rings of ancient houses protect the wearer, be it from harmful potions to enchantments; doing just enough to warn their wearer of any ill intent.

Harry had accepted his lordships just before commencing on his Horcrux hunt, the rings' effects weren't something he had noticed straight away, or even months into his hunt. It was only near the end when he was to walk to his death -a martyr,- did he realise the whole foundations of his life were built upon lies.

Not that he didn't have some slight idea of the manipulation he'd experienced, just not the extent, it was one thing to suspect, another to _know_ with certainty.

Yet, despite all expectation, Harry remained alive and kicking and therefore vowed he'd stay that way. He may have been lied to apparently his whole life but he'd make it on his own or he wouldn't make it at all. After Voldemort's death, he'd gone to Gringotts, praying they hadn't confiscated his funds for the whole dragon incident however his account manager, Griphook, only gave him a nasty scowl of a grin and snorted at his dumbfounded expression.

The only explanation Harry received from them was "All is fair in love and war", a proverb attributed to John Lyly's Euphues. Harry thought it odd that the Goblins would dare use a human's phrase considering their apparent distaste for both them and wizards but was careful to hold his tongue in the case they change their minds on confiscating his funds.

He had later learnt the Goblins to be a warrior race, they found his actions fair play, however, did take a hefty fee from his apparently many wizarding accounts to pay for any damages he'd made.

Harry supposed his so-called friends did care for him, in some strange twisted way. Harry knew they wouldn't purposely go out of their way to ever harm him however that didn't excuse how they remained willingly ignorant to the suffering he went through at the hands of the Dursleys despite glaringly obvious it was. While Harry had never said anything outright, his abysmal lack of height, barred windows and general emaciated form should have said enough. That's not even bringing into account how careful he is to avoid being seen in any state of undress.

It was almost funny how blind Ron and Hermione were and how blind he was to their true feelings, almost.

Harry would've thought it bitterly amusing if it weren't his own life.

Gazing out the window, Harry couldn't help but admire the scenery rushing past him, the Dursleys had received some sort of business proposition, a promotion of some sorts so they were to relocate to America or more specifically, Georgia. Harry was dragged along for the ride despite the Dursleys' ire, Harry hadn't known a person's face could turn so purple, perhaps Vernon was some special breed of human.

In regards to Harry's reluctance to return Hemoine had only smiled benignly, eyes twinkling in such a similar way to the late headmaster's that nausea crawled its way down his throat.

"You shouldn't be so ungrateful Harry! You have someplace to stay don't you know what happened to the burrow? My parents don't even remember me"

She has scolded Harry like a naughty child, with this Harry knew he'd garner no sympathy from Hemoine nor Ron - who'd stayed silent, only nodding to agree with her.

So here he was, in America, the plane ride wasn't something he'd ever want to experience again, he wasn't used to flying and not being in control.

The heat was slightly stifling, worlds different from the frigid coldness of the Scottish highlands he'd gotten used to, he'd have to adapt to this new heat change quickly if he wished to remain comfortable - or as comfortable as one could be living with company such as the Dursleys.

The excuse for his delightful return to the Dursleys was how there will still rogue death eaters on the loose and how he must stay for his 'protection and wellbeing’. Harry found it amusing how the wizarding world would rather stick their heads in the sand and let children fight and struggle, suffer, for them but suddenly once the threat was eliminated they dared bully him into ‘protection’.

Amusing indeed. Amusing and infuriating.

Harry also believed the rush for his return was related to how he'd defied public opinion and the expectations of his so called ‘friends’. Ron had adamantly pressured him into joining the Aurors. and into marrying his sister. Harry never even liked Ginny, he'd only felt he had to date her since all the other Gryffindor boys had girlfriends at the time. He supposed she was pretty but Harry didn't think pretty was what he was into.

'Out of the pan and into the fire' Harry had thought in response to these demands. For his whole life, before he was even born he'd been a pawn, a chess piece for Dumbledore to push around but finally, he'd completed his ‘destined purpose’ and it was time to get off the board.

Better late than never surely?

Despite Harry’s apparent lack of luck in the friend department, there were two people he knew he could definitively trust with his life, Luna and Neville. They had tried so valiantly, so desperately to warn him of the truth.

Yet, Harry had been blind, ignorant and dosed with love and loyalty potions however in the end they had waited for him. Luna with that little knowing quirk of her lips and an 'oh finally' glinting in her eyes and Neville, strong and proud, a true Gryffindor lion, finally growing into his mane.

Harry loved them, truly, they had Seen him, Luna, more so in that special way of hers, always Seeing and Knowing, speaking of things just outside of perception and she Saw Harry, truly Saw him. Harry had never been Seen before in such a way, his soul laid bare to her Knowing pale eyes, Harry had felt vulnerable to her gaze, more like a child than he'd ever had the chance to be in his pathetic life.

Luna Lovegood Saw Harry Potter as what he truly was, an abused child -no, young man- for how could a child go through the trials Harry Potter had experienced, he was a young man from the day his parents dropped dead that chilled October night. But Luna Saw him, his longing to be loved, to escape, to just run till his lungs ached and mouth tasted like bloody iron, till his legs trembled with it, to fly free. She had seen and she had Known. Acknowledged him.

Luna Lovegood would unclip Harry Potter's wings and let him _fly_.

Harry peered out the window once more, the trees gradually faded to buildings, white, grey and shining windows replacing the lush greens of the Georgian country. Harry wasn't used to the hustle and bustle of a city, the thought left nervous anxiety burrowing into his bones, Harry knew psychologically he most likely had a boatload of issues, maybe this newfound panic over crowds was one of them.

Ripping his eyes away from the city, Atlanta, Harry turned his gaze back into the car and more specifically, to his newest possession, a collection of leather bracelets, from Luna and Neville, a parting gift. 3 brown leather bracelets looped around his thin wrist on his right hand, one plaited, one a smooth strip and the last with soft twine wrapped around it. They were beautiful, they felt sacred and important, he knew they would be.

No matter how much he wished to deny it, Harry knew they weren't just for aesthetic purposes, they were practically drenched in Luna’s magic, covered in tiny runes some of which he had never seen before.

He could recognise a few, a book of ancient runes had appeared in his dorm room and with it, an ominous note describing how they would be useful. Many items had appeared in Harry Potter's life without much explanation but Harry knew they held great importance and he would require them, if not at the time, then later.

Harry traced one particular rune, _Wynn_ , meaning joy and another, _Giefu_ , meaning gift.

Warmth blossomed in Harry’s chest at the thought Luna had put into them, the time and resolution needed to carve such minuscule runes and the research needed to use them.

Harry couldn't fight the fond smile at the thought Luna, a true friend, his little sister in all but blood however despite his elder age; her knowing looks often had him feeling younger, more naive in some strange way. The leather bracelets were based on the number three, three bracelets, three leather strands in the plait, three pieces of soft twisted twine and the runes in groups of three.

Three was a _magic_ number, it was the perfect number, the number of harmony, wisdom and understanding. ... It was also the number of time – past, present, future; birth, life, death; beginning, middle, end – it was the number of the divine.

The three bracelets could only ever be removed by him, the thought settled something within Harry; he had always been a little possessive over his possessions, he'd never had much to call his own and now he did it calmed him to know no one could take it from him.

Gentle power thrilled in the bracelets, reminded him of home. Home. Harry wasn't sure where home truly was, Hogwarts was home yet danger lurked down every corner in that beautiful castle, a home was supposed to be safe or at least Harry thought it should be. It seemed he didn't have much experience. Luna and Neville felt like home, but not truly.

A soft ray of sunlight Harry’s face, the warmth soothing him in some strange way, he admired the bracelets, they highlighted the fairness of his skin, made his thin wrists look delicate, soft even, he knew he was skinny and anyone of average size could easily wrap their hand around it but such thought only left a curious tingling in his stomach.

He reflected, when Harry had visited Gringotts he'd been surprised to find many attempts to barter money from his accounts, attempted by the Weasleys and Dumbledore, people who he had trusted, blindly. However, he has also found a successful attempt, by Luna. At the time the already stinging bite of betrayal from his “friends” had festered at the sight of Luna’s name, a fire licking down his throat, choking, suffocating.

He’d felt like a fool when his goblin sardonically informed him that Luna’s abilities as a True Seer override all security, she had Seen something and acted for him because she truly cared for him.

Harry fiddled with the little charms on the bracelets, Luna had drilled him into learning a shrinking spell, his trunk and broom attached themselves to the leather once they were in close proximity, Harry thought it to be quite ingenious.

She didn't say it outright but she’d hinted something was coming, she wanted him to be prepared. Harry wasn't sure what but he'd be damned if he didn't go in prepared.

Dudley’s incessant whinging finally began to quieten, the car had finally slowed to a stop.

“Here we are” uncle Vernon had sneered, apparently he wasn't too fond of Georgia, or maybe just the hotel. It was a grey thing, pretty bleak but it looked comfortable enough, it had 5 big stars on it at least therefore it must be worth something.

“Yes well let's get inside, all the quicker to get out of this backwater dirty state” Aunt Petunia had sniffed, haughtily, as if the ground wasn't worth enough for her to walk on. Dudley plodding on behind her and Harry taking up the rear.

Harry wasn't given a bedroom of course, why would the Dursleys ever deem a ‘freak’ like him worth one? However, he did get a bathroom, it was clean and smelt fresh, Harry appreciated it more than he should have.

He gazed at himself, staring into his own eyes in the mirror; who was this wait of a creature staring back at him? His hair was longer now than it ever had been, tickling his shoulders and curling whichever way at the bottom. It was soft, silky, he had bought himself the proper things needed to care for it and he couldn't deny he liked the outcome.

Harry had finally put his clunky round glasses to rest once they were too broken to use 'reparo' on anymore, his new pair were equally as round but a little bigger, the frames a thin gold coloured metal with turquoise arms - at the time he'd felt a little frivolous buying them but was firm in his purchase as he reminded himself that he was allowed to have nice things, that he'd suffered enough, who knew the world could look so bright in crisp, clean lenses. Harry was pale, not sickly but close enough to it, he was still thin, still small, still a little too girly than any normal boy, he was the same as before the war ended yet not, different yet familiar.

Who was he?

Harry felt terribly off-kilter since the end of the war, like a puppet with its strings snipped, he was unsure of his purpose, he had no direction he was just drifting. Lost, not certain what to do with himself like his limbs were too long, just a bit wonky.

His whole life he was a piece in some grand game, strings called tautly and manipulated, he needed a new purpose.

Harry gazed at himself, he almost thought he looked pretty, Vernon was happy to remind him of it, how pretty he looked, how he needed to beat the Nancy man out of him. But some deprived needy part of himself almost liked it; how he was a little smaller than usual men, skin a little fairer, eyes a little wider, a little more girlish.

And Harry wasn't sure how to feel about that.

He always was short for his age, it made him more of a target to Dudley and his little gaggle of delinquents, chasing him around only to beat him when they caught him, at least his lithe size had made him fast, he didn't let them catch him easily, at least he made them work for it.

Turning slightly, Harry tugged his shirt up at the back,  
large red lacerations decorated his back cross-crossing and marring his pale skin in red. He grimaced, they were still sore and tender but seemed to be lacking any sort of infection - for now, that is.

The whistle of the belt was never too far from his thoughts, the thwack as it made contact with his skin haunting him, just out of mind. To think the 'saviour of the Wizarding World' was beaten and starved by his muggle family, whatever would the press say?

It surely would be an interesting read Harry knew for certain.

Harry couldn't help but sigh weakly, he was still thrilled with adrenaline, he was so close to freedom, he was away from Britain and now all he had to do was grin and bear it till he hit 18, magical maturity. Technically he was already an adult in the eyes of magic, ever since the Triwizard tournament but of course this fact was conveniently brushed over. Harry knew he could live, he could make it, he didn't exactly need anyone else in order to survive yet the hunger for companionship, for family, maybe even a partner, lingered coiled deep in his chest. A soft desire, churning in need.

Harry Potter was one step closer to freedom yet it didn't help him feel less alone.

* * *

**A/N**

(There seems to be some kind of problem with the notes on chapter 1 of multi-chaptered fits so the note will remain here for the time being)

Hey everyone, this is my first real fic so please don’t be too harsh. I simply adore this pairing and with so few finished fics regarding it I just had to make one myself too. I’m absolutely open to ideas and recommendations so definitely feel free to leave your ideas in the comments, I’d love to know how you think the story should progress. I’ve been on ao3 for a while but I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of experience. If anyone’s interested in co-writing or being a beta for this work absolutely let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you. Please don't feel afraid to leave and constructive criticism. Thank you do much for reading.

I hope to introduce the Dixon's either in the next chapter or the one after.  
Also please let me know what chapter lengths you'd like? I hope you update a few times a week, this was 3k, shorter chapters like this means I can update at a quicker rate but i’d like to know what you think


	2. PINK

Prey

** Disclaimer:  ** I don’t own Harry Potter or Walking Dead and no profit is being made from this fic. 

** Important note: ** This will be my first full-fledged fic, I'm hoping to set a regular update time however at this given moment I'm not exactly certain when that shall be. I'm not from America nor have I ever been there so apologies in advance if any settings are not described completely accurately, feel free to let me know if something is incorrect and I will fix it.

** Pairing ** : Harry Potter/Daryl Dixon

* * *

** CHAPTER TWO **

The World had officially gone to shit.

At least it wasn't Harry’s fault? He’d barely been in Atlanta for a week and some sort of epidemic was hitting the city, hitting the whole world if the radio had anything to say about it. It wasn't exactly new - or Harry didn't think so. Before leaving England there was some talk of people dying of intense fevers but the media had seen it as a fluke, a hoax.

People rising from the dead just to tear at the skin of others, to kill, to eat did sound a little far fetched until a woman's jugular was brutally torn out right in front of you.

Vernon and Petunia - Harry had taken to calling them by their first names, they may have been related but Harry didn't claim them as his  _ family  _ \- had taken the news in stride, laughing it off or claiming it was somehow  _ his  _ doing. Of course, anything that went wrong had to be the result __ of Harry and his ‘ _ freakishness’.  _

The many many beatings he'd received for things purely out of his control had always left a spiteful bitter tang in his mouth due to the unfairness of his situation.

Harry had sworn once he was free of his keepers, he'd hire a lawyer, let the world know what the Dursleys had dared do to him, the things he'd been forced to put up with. It seemed fate couldn't even allow him that little bit of vindictive satisfaction as by the time this was over he doubted there'd be any lawyers left, let alone lawyers worrying about abused boys.

However, a feeling deep in Harry’s gut warned him that whatever this was, whatever was happening would not be finishing for a long, long time and Harry’s instincts had never led him wrong.

Starting impassively, Harry observed his family stumbling around the hotel room taking everything they would need to get to a refuge centre. The radio had discussed them, preaching of safety and shelter however Harry didn't think it was going to last long.

He barely kept in a snort of amusement at what Dudley presumed as necessities, reminding him back to just before his 11th birthday in the family’s haste to avoid his Hogwarts letters. He was waddling around trying to grab chargers for his phone and other devices, Petunia was hastily grabbing her makeup and hairdryer and Harry didn't much care for where Vernon was.

Harry had received the beating of his life once his family realised this infection was no joke, blaming it on  _ his people _ , claiming them devil worshippers and how they had brought the apocalypse and  _ damned _ the earth to hell.

It was kind of amusing how the Dursleys loved to paint themselves as perfect God-fearing citizens, Harry had thought 'sloth' and 'gluttony' as two of the seven deadly sins yet Dudley and Vernon clearly seemed to ignore such things.

His back still flared with pain whenever Harry so much as breathed, the lashing he’d received had reopened his old sores and he was concerned how he'd be able to run and fight against the..  _ things _ clamouring through the streets.

He gazed out the window, trying to ignore the brutal screams of those being attacked yet he couldn't help but watch the chaos is a morbid concern. A woman was running - blundering really - her arm bloody and askew, blood dribbling from a bite in her cheek, marring the skin. Harry hoped for her but he knew deep down she had no chance, she was infected. The numerous bites and scratches marring her body told enough, not only would she be devoured alive but she’d turn into one of  _ them  _ once her life ended.

Harry thought there wasn't a more horrific, degrading way to go, to be eaten and become the eater. A hand dragged her ankle pulling her down and the things descended on her like rabid animals, like she had no life, no  _ meaning _ like she was just a  _ meal _ to sate their frenzied hunger.

He wondered what has caused this, who had created this monstrosity of a virus, perhaps some kind of experiment gone horrifically wrong or was this perhaps it truly was God punishing his creations, damning them all to hell on earth. Or perhaps Petunia was right, maybe this was the work of magic folk thinking themselves too arrogant, too righteous that they dared play with nature. Maybe the earth just had enough of humans, thought to wipe out them all.

Harry had to look away from the screaming woman, bile tickling his throat once he heard the wailing scream of a newborn. The bundle he thought was her breast revealing the tearful and afraid face of her child. He stood rapidly, not sure what he was planning to do, what he could do, knives and bullets were embedded in these creatures chests and limbs but they just would not  _ die _ .

Apparating would be too dangerous, too loud, it would be a dinner bell to them, all he could do was sit and watch the women and the child be torn apart by greedy, greedy hands till nausea was too much, sickness bubbling up his throat and he had to look away lest he spews the meagre contents of his stomach all over the upholstery.

The woman reminded him terribly of his mother, while she looked entirely different she had to watch her child die in front of her eyes, hopeless and painful. While his mother died expecting him to follow, at least she didn't have to watch. Harry wondered what his mother felt when she died.

Luckily Harry hadn't unpacked his trunk, it stayed dangling on his bracelet so he didn't need to scramble madly for his belongings. He did, however, swipe at the hotel medical kit in the bathroom, he put it and a few other useful things into the leather bottomless pouch hanging from a cord around his neck, they’d be useful later.

Harry felt that this is what Luna was hinting at, he hadn't had the chance to look at all the charms in his bracelet nor what they contained in case he warranted the Dursleys' suspicion but he suspected they would be useful.

“BOY, HURRY UP WE’RE LEAVING” Vernon’s voice echoed through the hotel rooms, Harry winced at the volume, surely by now they'd realised the Things were attracted to noise.

Harry quickly placed his pouch around his neck and ran back to where the Dursley’s had congregated around the room’s door. Vernon glared at him and Harry didn't appreciate the gleaming look in his eye, a shiver wracked down his spine. Harry eyed him more shrewdly but assumed that he must just be rightfully panicked.

The family stormed out the door making much more racket than needed, Harry noticed how they pushed him to the front, almost using him as a shield. Worry prickled him once more. The lift wasn't running so they made their way downstairs, Vernon and Dudley huffing at the rear of their little group. 

By some godly luck, they hadn't run into any of Them so far, the only one was the receptionist, her blonde hair speckled red with blood, a gunshot wound through her - it's head.

Aim for the head

However, their luck seemed to run out, a crowd of them huddled outside the hotel, groaning and grunting clambering to get closer, mindlessly trampling over one another to get inside, to  _ kill _ them, to  _ eat _ them.

“Vernon?” Petunia whispered in horror, trembling in horror, she began to sob, pulling her son closer to her as if to shield him from the sight - which was a little hard to do as said son was 5 times as wide.

“Its alright pet, I know what to do.” The glint was back in Vernon’s eyes again, malice and a little glee directed at Harry, a flicker of dread trembled down his spine.

He lurched forward, fat chin wobbling with his efforts as he clutched Harry by the wrist. wide hands crushing his dainty wrists which Harry had admired just days before, he had never cursed his lack of body weight as he had now.

Vernon dragged him to the door, the things, Biters, were crowded but they seemed to have found something closer nearby so they weren't pressed as close to the glass.

“You better run fast and run far boy” he snarled at him, Petunia’s panicked cries in the back were drowned by the pulsing of blood in his ears, even Dudley seemed hesitant at his father’s callous actions but Harry couldn't hear him over the ringing.

Vernon pushed the door open with a meaty fist, throwing him out just as fast and Harry was  _ outside _ .

with  _ them. _

Over twenty pairs of eyes snapped to stare at him.

Shit.

The world seemed to slow down as cliche as it sounded but at the same time, it seemed to speed up, moving rapidly, too fast for him to gain his wits and  _ act _ . Harry knew there was no use trying to get back inside, if Vernon was able to throw him out so brutally why would he let him back in.

So Harry  _ listened _ , his wand sliding into his hand and a dagger detaching from his leather bracelet, unshrinking and dropping into his other.

Harry ran far and damn if he ran  _ fast _ .

Mothers, daughters, fathers, sons,  _ children _ clamoured at him, dragging themselves over to him, pale decaying hands tangling onto his clothes but Harry kept  _ running. W _ eaving past them and ducking under them, his coat, a leather jacket from Sirius, protected him from their wandering hands. 

Not only did he have to not get caught, but he also had to not get bit, not get scratched, or else he’d  _ turn. _

Into one of  _ them. _

Harry would rather gut himself than let his body roam, mindless,  _ killing _ .

But even so, he wanted to live dammit. So, Harry kept on running and running and  _ running _ until he saw a shop, a store, it looked empty or at least empty enough. He could not risk apparating or he’d end up splinching. Harry swore his heart had never beat as fast as this in his life.

There was a gap in the crowd however the Biters could move and close it in seconds but there was no other option for him but this.

He sprinted, ducking below one’s legs through the opening. He couldn't  _ breathe _ , he couldn't  _ think _ , he could just run.

So he ran.

Till one grabbed him by the hair, its grip tight and unrelenting. yanking him forward its putrid breath hitting his face and Harry could not  _ breathe.  _

Harry stated into soulless eyes, the husk of some poor fellow mindless, murderous, he could not hesitate, he could not waste time to think, he could only act or else he'd become a meal, as scrawny as he was.

Harry raised the dagger, adrenaline pumping through his veins, furling him and slammed the blade through its soft fleshy eye and hopefully into its brain, killing it.

Blood splurged, dribbling and squelching down his hand, wet and thick but Harry had no time to ponder the feel of blood. He dragged the dagger back, the hand is his hair limp as the Biter fell dead. He skidded past, through the opening and to that empty shop, hope brimming in green  _ green _ eyes.

And he made it, whipping the door open and slamming it closed behind him, locking it with a shakily whispered spell. He leaned his cheek against the cool glass and just  _ breathed _

_ He made it.  _ He could cry in relief.

But he was still not  _ safe _ . Harry flicked his wand and levitated a shelf against the glass, they could not see him and he could not see them and now for a moment, He could take a breath. 

Harry sat against the shelf for a few minutes just breathing, the sight of the Biter’s hollow dead eyes struck some chord within him, Luna and Neville’s eyes could look like that, Harry didn't even know if England was still standing.

Despite this, Harry knew he couldn't just wallow in self-pity, he stood and took in the shop, it seemed to be some kind of supermarket, it was mostly cleared out but there’d surely be something worth taking. He slipped his wand back into the leather holster on his forearm and let his dagger reattach to his bracelet - it would naturally be summoned into his hand when he needed it once more.

He wondered around the shop looking for something to hold his things in, Harry thought it would look suspicious if he suddenly pulled a bunch of stuff out of nowhere in front of survivors - if there were any others that is.

He took most of the bags sitting on a shelf, Harry would've taken them all but he wanted to leave supplies for anyone else who might wander in once he left. 

He used one of the bags for canned food, surprisingly there was still a multitude of them still stacked on the shelves. He seemed them all in; canned vegetables, meats, fruits and whatever else seemed to be there, Harry knew he couldn't be picky, he couldn't afford to, not anymore.

Harry had 2 bags filled with these cans, they were decent sized bags too but he didn't want to take too much. He shrunk the two bags down with a wandless spell, Harry had thought it odd that Luna has drilled him into learning the shrinking charm so well but clearly she had Seen this, or at least suspected it.

Harry placed the two small shrunken bags into the back hidden pocket of a light blue camping bag, He decided it would be his main bag, the one people would see.

He still had 2 other empty bags left and filled them with as many necessities as possible, flashlights and their batteries, bottles of water, soap and a bucket load of muggle medical supplies.

One bag was mostly filled with snack foods, chocolate bars, crisps and an American snack called goldfish Harry just shrank it down anyway and but it with the other two. He made sure to get some clothes in his size, a few shirts, pants and underwear with a few pairs of sturdy boots ones that actually fit and would be good for Georgia’s weather and would survive trekking around the country.

Through the shelf at the front window, Harry could see the light starting to lessen, it was getting darker. He quickly changed into a pair of his new clothes; a short sleeve thin blue shirt and a pair of loose jeans with a pair of the boots he’d gotten. It was nice to finally have something that fits, he left his leather jacket off but settled for sleeping in his jeans in case he needed to make a quick getaway.

Harry was careful to place a few cans of food as well as some clothes in his main bag in case someone went peeking and wondered where he’d gotten his things from. Harry couldn't ignore how he was already preparing to meet new people, he truly didn't want to be alone in this.

Curling up in a nest of blankets from the home section, Harry closed his eyes for a restless nights sleep, hopefully, in the morning he could find some more supplies and maybe even some survivors.

* * *

Harry thought he’d adapted to the end of the world pretty well, he’d stayed where he was for a few days a little too scared to venture out, it was sincerely lucky he did as suddenly bombs were dropped from all over the place.

Hidden under a shelf and a shield charm Harry could only wait it out as the cacophony screams and groans increased, he was too afraid to leave and he wasn't sure what he could even do to help the poor souls trapped in the rubble.

After a few days, the helicopters seemed to have left, the amount of dead had vastly increased, if harry thought it was bad before it was insane now. Harry didn't quite understand what the point of the bombs was, perhaps the military thought they would kill the Biters? Even so, it just seemed to have made things worse, the few survivors Harry had caught glimpse of were in the process of drying.

He wished that hadn't need to suffer but she couldn't bring himself to mercy kill even to stop their pain. Maybe Hermoine and Ron were right and he truly was a coward.

Harry had kept himself busy, he now had multiple bags of cans and other preservable foods and a bunch of camping things like a small tent and sleeping bag in his main bag. His back still ached from his most recent 'punishment' but not as severely as before.

He couldn't resist clearing out the books wherever he went, while he may have hidden it Harry did enjoy reading from time to time, Hermoine had been infuriated once she realized she wasn't the only one with any intelligence so at 11 Harry hid the habit in his desperation to keep his friends.

All in all, Harry was doing pretty well for himself, he’d raided a shop selling weapons and now had a small handgun and multiple bullets for it - he didn't know how to use it and didn't want to risk making too much noise but it was on his to-do list of things to learn. He’d also armed himself with multiple little daggers and knives, one in each boot, one on his belt and a few others hidden on his person. 

Harry had also taken up a bow, it seemed a much more sensible option than a gun due to it being so silent but again, Harry didn't know how to use it. He’d been pretty bummed that due to his stunted size, the only bow in his size was a pink compound bow - he could already hear the teasing. He’d taken a few shots in the shop and found he wasn't a terrible shot but he did need to work on it. Harry had raided all the arrows and had found a brown leather quiver to place them in. Perhaps there was some way to make the arrows return after some period of time.

So yes, all in all, Harry was doing quite well.

He just hadn't seen any other survivors till the bombs dropped.

Well, until just now. 

A stream of hoarsely shouted profanities streamed from the roof of an abandoned department store and the exciting hope Harry had suddenly felt overthrew all common sense - or lack of it- and Harry apparated without a moments notice.

Directly in front of a muggle handcuffed to a pipe. Perhaps Harry should have considered why a man was screaming himself hoarse on a roof or maybe just appearing out of nowhere was a little sudden for ‘normal’ people.

His hope diminished into trepidation once he’d realised what he’d just done, his worries only furthered by the blank look he was receiving from the cuffed man.

“The actual fuck?”

Well, that's one way to make an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I just have to say how much I appreciated all of your comments in the last chapter, they were so lovely to read and really have inspired me with writing this fic.
> 
> Anyway, I have exciting news! I now have a beta writer for this fic! This chapter was beta-read by the lovely LyraWinters so chapters will be extra edited now that I have a second pair of eyes looking out for mistakes
> 
> So Merle has been introduced, I did say I’d introduce a Dixon, just not which one ;) A lot of this chapter was just introducing Harry more and showing how he’s going to use his magic to survive.
> 
> But have no fear, Daryl will definitely be introduced next chapter, can't want to get started on it.  
> A reader suggested the idea of Harry eventually taking care of a child (perhaps Teddy Lupin or Andre) and I was just curious how everyone thought about this, it wouldn't be for a little while in the chapter but I just wanted everyone opinion. I'm not against mpreg however I'm not certain I’d be terribly good at writing it but I'm not against doing it. :)
> 
> Having the pairing as Daryl/Harry/Merle was also mentioned and I'm also not against that so I'd like to know what you all think.
> 
> Again, please do not be afraid to leave your ideas for the plot and any constructive criticism, as said in the disclaimer I'm not American nor do I claim to be so if anything is wrong let me know. :)
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, leave a comment on what you thought!


	3. DRIVING 101

Prey

 **Disclaimer: I** don’t own Harry Potter or Walking Dead and no profit is being made from this fic. 

**Important note:** This will be my first full-fledged fic, I'm hoping to set a regular update time however at this given moment I'm not exactly certain when that shall be, at the moment I'm updating daily... I'm not from America nor have I ever been there so apologies in advance if any settings are not described completely accurately, feel free to let me know if something is incorrect and I will fix it.

 **Pairing** : Harry Potter/Daryl Dixon

This chapter contains offensive language

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

Merle Dixon stares at the spot where once was nothing and now there was a boy. He'd been stuck on this damned roof for maybe a day or two, the sun beating down on his face and still feeling remnants of his previous high-as a-kite state.

Clearly, the sun had left him dumb in the head because what the fuck is this voodoo shit? So he asks the only suitable question.

"What the actual fuck?"

Harry sweatdropped. He did not think this through, why does he always do this? 

However, Harry was no coward, he'd exposed himself and he couldn't just leave this man on a roof in such scorching weather, he could be suffering from sunstroke for all he knew.

However, the incredulous yet aggressive tone the man asked his question had Harry unconsciously taking a small step back; he wanted to help but what if this man reacted aggressively to his magic? Like Vernon? A shudder hit Harry at the thought.

Maybe this was a mistake.

Merle must have lost his god damn mind but on the tiny chance that this mythical voodoo kid was actually real and not a product of his skewed imagination, he couldn't let him leave without getting himself free. He saw how the boy tentatively stepped beck and this just _would not_ do.

"C'mon kid, there ain't nothin ta be afraid of, just help little ol' Merle outa these cuffs and I'll be on my merry way"

The kid's eyes were wide as heck but he did take a few hesitant steps towards him, he was small, scrawny but girly-looking, too pretty of a face for a man.

Harry knelt in front of the man, Merle, and quickly chucked his bag down in front of him and pulled out a bottle of water and a snack bar, it looked like Merle had been on this roof for a while if his hazy eyes had anything to say about it, he surely must need something to drink. He held the water out for him and it was suspiciously taken from his grasp.

All hesitation left merle as he heard the crack of the bottle's seal and began guzzling the cold water without abandon, he left half just in case as it might be the only thing he'd be drinking for a while. The kid then passed over the bar and he practically inhaled it, fuck he'd been starving up here all because of _officer fucking friendly_.

Harry awkwardly waited for him to finish, pretty unsure what to say, what does one say when you just appear out of nowhere with what sounds like a gunshot? At least he wasn't being attacked?

Merle snorted at the sight of the pink as fuck bow over the kid's shoulder and despite just being fed, couldn't help but comment on it.

"Nice pretty bow you got there kid, got a name I can call ya?" Kid's face went all red at this, either in anger or embarrassment but Merle didn't much care, he just wanted to get off this roof and give that poxy cop a piece of his mind. His brother must be losing his shit.

"It's Harry and this was the only bow for my size, alright."

Harry thought this guy was pretty ungrateful if you asked him but at the same time he kind of reminded him of Hagrid; a little rough on the outside, a little frightening and brash but just a regular guy on the inside.

Or he could just be an arsehole, there's always that.

Merle only snorted in response. Little brits got _sass_.

"So, I'm going to undo these cuffs alright? You have to promise not to tell anyone that I can... Do what I can do okay?" Harry peered into the man's eyes trying to convey the gravity of the situation, he could not afford a bunch of muggles hunting him down or any other magical folk they found in some apocalyptic mockery of the wish trials.

"I'm not.. wicked or anything I just.." Harry struggled for words and shrugged but it seemed the man understood and just nodded his head in -albeit suspicious- acceptance.

So without further ado, Harry's wand flicked into his hand and with a soft 'alohamora' the silver handcuffs fell to the ground with a clack. Merle could only stare in shock, he'd seen the kid just appear but it could've been some trick of the light however a cop's handcuffs unlocking with no key out of nowhere?

This was some real voodoo shit, but seeing the kid's earnest face Merle didn't think he had it in him to sacrifice others for his power. Then again, you never know.

Merle went to stand, finally ready to get off this _fucking_ roof but the kid stopped him, a pale hand landing on his shoulder.

"Are you drunk?" Harry blurted with absolutely zero class but he just _couldn't_ let this man wander into the walker deathtrap below in his inebriated state.

Merle raised an eyebrow, settling down once again, the kid, Harry, just blushed again but stared unrelentingly, expecting an answer. 

"Am _high_ short stuff"

Harry frowned both at the answer and the nickname however didn't comment on it. He pulled the charm off his bracelet containing potions and their subsequent ingredients, bless Luna she truly was a treasure for making all this for him. Harry eyed the man, he wasn't sure if a hangover potion would work if one were... high. Instead, he unshrank the trunk and summoned a vial of phoenix tears, he had 5 in total, he shouldn't waste the but he couldn't just abandon Merle.

Merle watched on in suspicious awe, the kid just made an old looking trunk appear out of thin air. Maybe he truly had been out in the sun for too long. Harry peered back at him holding the vial, Merle hoped the kid didn't expect him to drink that shit. No matter how innocent the boy looked Merle didn't just drink random shit, no _thanks_.

"These are phoenix tears" Harry saw the suspicion in Merle's eyes and wondered how he'd be able to convince Merle to drink anything he'd give him

"Am not drinkin' tha' kid"

Harry just sighed. _Why him._

"Look, why would I try to poison you, I just gave you food and water, It will make your.. _high_ go away"

Merle just eyed him blankly in suspicion before seeing the weight in his statement and held out his hand for the vial.

"You just have to take 3 drops and then you should feel right as rain, I wouldn't want you to go walking into that horde of walkers, not in your right mind", Harry instructed him with a mutter.

Merle only snorted, lips twitching up in a smirk at the little brit and his barely hidden concern.

"Worried about little ol' Merle sweet cheeks?"

Harry only gasped affronted, the _nerve_ of this guy! However, some part of him couldn't help but revel in the company, Merlw was amusing he'd have to admit.

Merle did as instructed and let 3 drops of the clear liquid drop into his mouth and instantly all the aches and pains in his body vanished, bone-deep tiredness he'd experienced his whole damn life suddenly disappeared in such a sudden moment he was left woozy. His mind was left clear and all that cliche shit.

Concerned green eyes peered into his in apprehension.

"Damn kid, whatcha' say was in tha'?"

Harry nodded, he'd assumed it had worked "Phoenix tears" he replied before scrambling to his feet once the man stood with a groan. Harry awkwardly shuffled for a moment before the groans of the Biters behind the roof door reminded them where they were.

Harry summoned a bag of tools strewn across the ground before glancing back at Merle before steeling himself, the guy just raised an eyebrow still smirking infuriatingly.

"I can apparate us out of here, It's like teleporting? It's quite uncomfortable for first times but it's better than trying to get through that mess" Harry pointed back to the door and the slowly rising cacophony of noise.

Merle thought it over but why would the kid try to kill him now? Standing up to his full height the boy looked even smaller, 'bout as tall as that Carol woman may be smaller. He didn't look like he could throw a punch but Merle knew he probably hand more voodoo shit up his sleeve.

"Hm, alrigh'." Upon hearing this Harry grabbed Merle's arm before he could reconsider and apparated them into a parking lot empty of walkers without hesitation, Harry was pretty used to apparition but by the way, Merle was holding his stomach and the muttered "fuck", it might've been worse for muggles.

Groaning, Merle looked around to find they were in some lot, no walkers in sight but plenty of cars to hitch a ride back to his brother. Harry didn't seem to have anything to say and looked to be searching for a direction to leave in.

'Whatcha got there" Merle was pointing to the bag of guns Harry had been dragging along for a while, he wasn't sure how they'd react to a shrinking charm and he was _not_ going to risk it.

That'd be pretty embarrassing to say the least, Harry potter taken out by a shrinking charm.

Not today.

"I found them on the road, thought they'd be useful" Not that Harry knew how to even hold a gun but that didn't need to be mentioned.

Harry didn't expect Merle to bring him along with him, he didn't look like much even with his magic. Even so, Harry couldn't fight the soft disappointment churning in his gut.

"You gotta group Lil' brit?" 

Turning tentatively, Harry thought he'd perhaps heard wrong, did Merle want to bring him back with him?

"You deaf as well as short huh boy? Am askin' ya' if you've got a group to scram back to"

Harry shook his head in response, maybe he should've been wary of this guy, surely he'd been locked to a roof for a reason and he did appear a little rough around the edges however once again Harry's desire for company outweighed common sense.

Merle just nodded, he'd thought so, he wandered over to a car with enough fuel in its system to get back with the boy trailing with uncertainty behind him. 

Harry waited awkwardly while Merle began to hotwire the car - that would be something he'd have to learn, along with driving that is - waiting for him to say something.

"Get drivin' pretty boy, ol' Merle will give ya' directions"

When Harry didn't seem to be moving Merle glanced up at him, the boy thought himself too good to drive huh? Shoulda known with that posh uppity accent of his, posh little english hoss through and through huh. To think Merle thought this one was _different_.

However, by the embarrassed look and a deeper flush on his pale cheeks, Merle finally got it and couldn't stop the chortle that left him, not that he would've, the kid was just too fun to tease with his angry kitten glares and little pouts. All harmless looking that he was.

"Ya dunno how to drive huh? How old are you? Must be real shit to have failed your test."

Harry's frown only deepened, the only time he'd ever been close to driving a car was the Weasley's Ford Angelia - the thought of them put Harry's mood on a slight damper.

"I've never taken a driving test, it's not required in England and I’m 16 "

Merle just snorted and manhandled Harry into the driver's seat muttering about "useless little English boys" , Harry would sure be a good asset to the Dixons, his voodoo could probably get them out of a lot of trouble not to mention he wasn't terrible on the eyes, not that Merle was a fag but it was the end of the world, can't complain of what ya get. He also didnt wine like the bunch of panises in the quarry once his jesting got a little into the _offensieve_ territory. Merle just had to keep the rest of the groups grubby little paws off of him.

All in all, a good investment in Merle's book.

"Lesson 101 of driving boy, eyes on the road"

Harry couldn't hold in a grin, seemed he'd be learning this particular skill quicker than he previously thought with a teacher too! Even if said teacher seemed to be the epitome of a southern redneck but appearances aren't always accurate and beggars can't be choosers.

After a short while, Merle got tired of his nervous beginner driving and took over, not without an unnecesary amount of cursing but at this point Harry realised that's just how Merle _was_.

A bit of an arse but a merry one at least.

"Ya know Lil Brit, I get not wanting ta' tell the whole group about your little witchy powers but I ain't lying to ma' brother, you hear?" Upon seeing the growing trepidation on Harry's face, Merle continued.

"Now, you can trust ol' Merle here, you can trust my baby brother, he won't spill your secret don't need ta' worry your littl' pretty head _princess_ "

Frowning, Harry thought it over, to be truthful he didn't want to have to conceal his magic in the first place, he just wasn't sure who he could trust. Magic was apart of him and he'd rather be alone if he had to conceal who he truly was, as lonely as that sounded. However, Merle seemed trustworthy enough despite his good natuted ribbing so he assumed his brother must be too. Harry finally relented with a nod and a muttered "Not a princess."

Merle snorted - he seemed to do that a lot - and just smirked at him.

"Sure princess"

Queue the eye roll

This _guy_.

* * *

Daryl Dixon was beyond _pissed_.

This damned uppity officer friendly just shows up out of the blue telling him he'd left his _brother_ handcuffed to a _roof._

He'd already been having a shitty day once a poxy ass walker dared take a bite of the deer he'd been hunting all night and now his brother could be lying dead on some roof in fucking _Atlanta_.

Damn Rick Grimes, his brother could run his mouth but that didn't give anybody the excuse to leave him up there to be damned walker bait.

He was getting his brother back and he was going ditch this group the second he did, pansies the lot of them; especially Shane, too much of a coward to even let the group go in peace.

The group silenced as the sound of a rumbling engine neared, a black SUV came rolling down the dirt path towards their camp. Loading his crossbow, he could feel himself getting more and more worked up.

He just wanted his brother _dammit_!

"God damn, what is it now?" Daryl had just gotten these lazy asses to get moving to the van to find Merle now some rando shows up? 

Storming forward, Daryl stops as a boy gets out the drivers seat. A boy with an admittedly pretty face, wide as fuck green eyes and ruddy cheeks, looking like some kind of vision, nonetheless it was some rando he ain't ever seen before.

"The fuck are you?"

Well, this is awkward Harry thought, he'd started driving once again after Merle almost fell asleep on the wheel for the second time, having to bodily move 190 pounds of unconcious man into the passenger seat wasn't on his list of to-dos today but alas here we are.

Harry Potter thought the world was perhaps against him, he'd barely had a moment to breathe and exhale, maybe even smell the roses before he was once again in some kind of trouble. At this point, he began to wonder whether he truly was the 'hero' or rather some damsel in distress. 

He simply could not catch a break.

It was quite frankly embarrassing, he thought, as he stared down the arrow of a crossbow into slated blue eyes, suspicion clear in their -admittedly quite lovely- depths.

Well, shit, this wasn't exactly how he wished first meetings with the group would go, a weapon to the face, it was clear that this was Merle's brother, he'd spoken of him a lot on the ride to convince Harry of his reliability.

Harry already knew, call it _intuition_ , he was in for a ride with these lot.

Here we go again.

So the only thing suitable was to answer the question right?

"I'm Harry... I found your brother on a roof?"

Slated eyes just narrowed in response

"In Atlanta?"

Seeing no response, Harry grabbed the man by the - very ripped - forearm and dragged him around to the passenger side of the vehicle. He then pulled the door open to reveal Merle, slumped forward onto the dashboard, a bit of drool trailing down his chin.

Out like a baby. 

Huh, phoenix tears must really take it out of you.

"Suprise?"

Daryl just _sighed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everone I just need to say how much each and every one of your comments mean so much to me! I love hearing how you all feel about chapters and what you'd like to see in them! Its so amazing how many kudos we've got on only 2 chapters! So nice to know you all appreciate this fic!
> 
> So, Merle is introduced! He was an absoloute blast to write, I was rewatching the season 1 episodes and reviewing the transcripts to see how he speaks, couldn't just let our second fave Dixon into the hands of the Govenor.
> 
> Once again this chapter was Beta-read by the lovely LyraWinters <3.  
> Never feel shy to give me ideas for this fic! The whole idea of Merle teaching Harry to drive was suggested by the reader Mugiwara_ya_25, they've also given me a few more brilliant ideas that I will be implementing into later chapters.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Daryl was a little frosty due to concern for his brother don't worry, we'll finally be introduced soon :)  
> EDIT: I'm not exactly certain i’ll be posting tomorrow, I think I've gotten some kind of food poisoning :(, I've gotten 2.5k done but I don't want to post anything that isn't as high quality as always, the latest i’ll post is Tuesday, I'm sorry for any inconvenience <3


	4. DON'T CALL ME THAT!

Prey

** Disclaimer: I  ** don't own Harry Potter or Walking Dead, and no profit is made from this fic. 

** Important note: ** This will be my first full-fledged fic, For now, I've settled on the upload dates of Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and sometimes Sundays, this is just a trial run to see how this new schedule works so it could change but I'll let you all know in the disclaimer, hopefully with this, chapters can be longer as I'll have more time.

I'm not from America, nor have I ever been there, so apologies in advance if any settings are not described thoroughly accurately; feel free to let me know if something is incorrect, and I will fix it.

** Pairing ** : Harry Potter/Daryl Dixon

This chapter contains offensive language

* * *

** CHAPTER FOUR **

Harry thought it was kind of amusing how both brothers greeted him in exasperated aggression, and perhaps he was just a bad omen. Giving a glance around to the group, it seemed they weren't faring any better than the younger Dixon, especially if the growing red face one curly haired guy was showing. Maybe he was possibly related to Vernon; it was a particular shade he often sported - around Harry at least.

Apparently, Merle deemed it time to grace the world with his dashing presence once more and began awakening from his impromptu nap. Harry was never letting him live down the fact that he drooled on the dashboard, if only he had a camera.

"Hey littl' brother, see you met princess here" Merle pointed to Harry with a salacious grin while the younger Dixon's tension finally seemed to ease at hearing his brother.

Harry couldn't keep his eye-roll in; it seemed 'princess' or 'little brit' were Merle's new names for him.

The younger Dixon's eyes swept back to Harry before giving him a slow once over, something that left Harry's chest feeling unusually warm and tingly. However, Harry once again felt like frowning at the amused look directed at his pink bow. 

It  _ wasn't _ his fault; it was the only bow left for him.

It was even starting to grow on him.

"Ya picking up strays now, Merle?" The amused look was directed back to Merle again, and Harry let himself frown this time when Merle let out a guffaw of laughter. The  _ nerve _ , honestly.

With a grin, Merle stepped out of the SUV and Harry was left awkwardly in the middle of the two forms of the Dixon brothers. Due to his height, he only just hit the younger of the two's shoulders.

"Nope," Merle grinned, popping the 'p'.

"This here pretty boy helped your ol' Merle off of a god damn roof, good at lock picking this one is hm" Harry was relieved Merle didn't say anything about his magic straight up, the group was still listening like a group of nosy old women, and the curly-haired guy looked seconds away from interrupting with a tantrum.

"This littl' bit here? He doesn't look like much" At this, Harry wordlessly gasped affronted; it seems both the Dixons were arses despite how visually appealing one was.

"This 'littl' bit' has a name and dragged your brother's sorry ass off a roof and out of the way of biters." Harry snapped, sticking his nose up and puffing his chest a little.

"Wouldn't hurt to show a little appreciation".

However, Harry's plan seemed to backfire; he just seemed more amused by Harry's antics if the tiny twitch in the corner of his mouth said anything.

"Daryl Dixon"

Harry reached out his hand and shook Daryl's, doing his absolute best to ignore how the large, said hand was or how nice it felt enclosing his admittedly smaller one.

"Harry Potter"

If Daryl seemed to be slightly surprised by Harry's firm grip, he didn't say anything about it. The two Dixon's met eyes above Harry's head in some secret brotherly conversation Harry didn't understand but had a feeling was to do with him.

Gossips, the lot of them.

The moment was broken, however, by the arrival of the curly-haired man storming over like a stroppy child.

"Alright, I'm done waiting for this; yall had your little powwow, now, who the fuck are you?"

Harry raised an eyebrow as the man got into his face, probably thinking he could intimidate him; too bad Harry had literally faced dark lords.

"My names Harry and I brought back a member of your group; I was hoping to travel with you".

Shane didn't like the defiant look in the kid's eyes, he looked like he wouldn't back down, and he couldn't have anyone else trying to surpass him while he still had rick to deal with.

'We don't even know you, boy".

Harry  _ barely _ held in his eye-roll, smells like a threatened 'alpha male'.

"No one knows anyone anymore, you're gonna tell me you properly know everyone in this camp, really?"

Merle and Daryl didn't even bother hiding their smirks at the little spitfire brit, it was time someone finally put Shane  _ fucking _ Walsh in his place, and since none of the group deemed their redneck opinions worth any thought, it was satisfying to see Shane get pushed down a few pegs by someone half his size.

"And, I have things to sweeten the deal" Harry rushed around to the back door of the SUV, opening it to reveal the bag of guns he'd found in the street a day earlier, the tools he'd gotten off of the roof Merle was on and a bag full of canned goods that he'd previously shrunk - he'd hope it would appease the group once he arrived.

Harry pulled the three bags out, struggling a little with the weight but continued with stopping and dropped them at the curly-haired guy's feet.

He grinned, a little sardonically, at the slack-jawed looks both he and most of the group gave him, squaring his shoulders; Harry looked back up at him expectantly, his whole stance shouting 'well?'

Shane knew he couldn't just kick him out no matter how much he wanted to; the group wouldn't agree. At least he had a pretty face. He'd just have to put the kid in his place.

Then another man walked up to join their 'powwow', and he looked to be a police officer or a 'cop' if the uniform was to go by. Maybe this was the 'officer friendly' Merle kept going on about.

"Hello, I'm Rick Grimes; I just wanted to say thank you for bringing back one of our own and for bringing these supplies" As he said this, the group marvelled over the sheer number of cans in the bag - Harry couldn't help but feel a little guilty, he had a much larger amount hidden away, shrunk and out of sight. The man, Rick, seemed friendly enough, especially compared to his counterpart.

"This is Shane; he doesn't mean you any disrespect, we're just all a little cautious around new people that's all", Which made sense in Harry's opinion; however, he did feel that Shane was just an arse in general if his scowl had anything to say about it.

"Where did you find these?" Rick indicated to the bag of guns still sitting by Shane's feet; Harry assumed they must've belonged to him; the bag did have some sort of police insignia on the side.

"Found them in the road, just sitting there, I don't know how to use them, but I thought I might as well pick them up, could've gone to worse hands" The officer just nodded before directing them back to the main group. Harry could hear the Dixons conversing quietly behind them and once again felt like they were on about him.

To be entirely truthful, Harry zoned out at the introductions to the group; however, they did seem like a nice enough lot except Ed gave him the creeps, reminded him too much of Vernon to be comfortable, and with the meek way Carol acted, he feared he may have escaped one abuser and found another.

Due to his frosty welcome, Harry had been rethinking whether he genuinely wanted to stay with the group; however, at the sight of the two children, Harry knew he couldn't leave. 

By the smirks the Dixons were sporting when he offered the two kids a bar of chocolate to share - Merle's mocking and obvious but Daryl's barely just a twitch of the lips - showed they must have known it too. Harry was a sucker for children; he had some part of him that yearned to protect them as he'd wished so hard for someone to defend him in his childhood.

Sophia was shy and meek like her mother but sweet; Harry saw a lot of himself in her, her tentativeness and hesitation to get closer to him, and Carl was loud and bright; however his mother not so much. Lori Grimes, apparently the wife to officer friendly - not that the heated looks between her and Shane said that - had taken one look at him and deemed him unworthy of her time and the group's effort. Poor Rick to have such a woman as a partner.

Shane wondered up to him - stomping really- and crossed his arms, looking down at him in some sort of intimidation tactic.  _ Again _ .

"Hi?" Harry observed bemusedly as Shane just huffed like a child.

"You're allowed to stay, but you gotta hand over your weapons, we can't have you wandering around with knives and guns when you don't even know how to use them, you could hurt yourself or someone else. It would also be for the betterment of the group that you hand over all your supplies so they're in safer hands, so hand them over boy".

Harry just continued staring, absolutely baffled at the nerve this guy showcased, that he expected Harry to just hand over all the shit he'd worked for.

When Shane realised Harry had no chance of moving, he attempted to grab him by the arm to pull him closer; Harry just sidestepped.

So Shane tried again, then Harry sidestepped also.

This happened again, then again, and  _ again. _

Till Shane seemed to have enough finally, his face a dark red in his fury, the chortling of Merle in the background seemed to not help much with his apparent anger management issues. Figures, there's always at least one Alpha' male.

"Kid, I swear to god, hand it over" Harry was starting to get bored of their impromptu dance and decided to humour the arse.

"Listen, mate, I don't know who you think you are, but I worked my ass off for all the supplies that I have now, I literally just gave your group more than half my supplies and now you're demanding my weaponry? A walker could wander into this camp at any moment and I need to be able to defend myself".

Shane seemed to be imitating a tomato at this point, and Harry thought he was doing an outstanding job too. The aggravating woman, Lori, seemed also take part in this imitation, shaking to herself like some deranged chihuahua.

"Got a tent?" It was Daryl who asked; he didn't seem to be one for much conversation, but Harry didn't mind; at his agreeing nod, Mele pulled him along to two tents a little further away from the rest of the camp. There seemed to be some kind of divide between the Dixons and the rest of the camp, maybe just because of their appearances or their brash way of speaking, but Harry didn't think that meant they deserved to be alienated. However, after Merle's mumbling about 'pansies' and the like, Harry assumed this was a willing split.

"Can put your tent up here" It was a little quieter here, the less hustle and bustle from the rest of the group; Harry thought they were surprisingly loud considering the Biters were attracted to noise.

It seemed the Dixons might have shared the thought by the grimaces they were sporting. Harry had put his tent up a few times when still in the city to make sure he knew how to do it, so it didn't take him terribly long.

Even so, once he'd finished, the two brothers were out of sight, perhaps hunting - Merle had told Harry all about the brother's apparent skill. Shrugging, Harry decided to change his clothes and clean them along with the few other pieces of dirty washing he had in the lake he'd spotted when arriving - he could use cleaning charms, but it just didn't feel the same.

Wondering down to the water, Harry found a few of the other women down there; Andrea and Amy, the two blonde sisters, the mother of Sophia, Carol and Jacqui. It seemed they had the same idea as him; while part of him wanted to flee out of nerves, Harry knew he should probably integrate himself with the group more, so he continued his approach steadfastly.

It was Jacqui who saw him first "Hello Harry, need something done?

Harry was a little confused by her question; it wasn't her responsibility to clean his clothes; perhaps the men of the camp were making the women do domestic work?

Sounds a little backwards, in Harry's opinion.

"Oh yeah? I'm just here to wash a few things" Harry let out an awkward smile; maybe he shouldn't have approached after all. 

When Carol went to take his clothes from him, Harry went to shake his head.

"No it's alright, you all seem to have enough to wash already".

Jacqui snorted upon hearing him, "Wish the rest of these lot shared the sentiment."

"So Harry" Looking up, Harry noted it was Amy addressing him.

"How did you end up meeting Merle of all people?"

"Oh, well I could hear him from miles away cursing to the high heavens, I didn't know him but I couldn't just leave a man to suffer from the heat and exposure up there" Harry was careful wording this. He knew from Merle that Andrea was part to blame for leaving the man up there; while he didn't doubt Merle was causing a ruckus mainly due to his previously 'high as a kite' state, there was no excuse to leave a man chained and defenceless like that.

It seemed by the darkening of Andrea's face; she also realised her wrongdoing, however not enough to admit it.

Pride goeth before the fall and all that.

Breaking the slightly awkward mood, Carol sighed dejectedly, "I do miss my Maytag".

At Harry's confused look, Jacqui explained, a Maytag was 'a type of washing machine'.

Andrea pitched in, too, "I miss my Benz, my sat-nav."

"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual-drip filter and built-in grinder, honey." Jacqui had bemoaned, Harry hadn't had many opportunities to try coffee, but a warm cup of tea sounded so lovely.

"My computer… And texting." Amy then turned to Harry, "Anything you miss?"

Truthfully it threw Harry off guard; Harry didn't know what he missed, he'd never had enough of his own to indeed have anything to forget. It oddly hit harry's heart, and he was reminded of the Triwizard tournament's second task; at the time, it was Ron, but Ron wasn't even his friend. Would someone miss him? He had Luna and Neville, but they had each other; he was a bit of a third wheel; if Harry dropped dead right now, would anyone miss him?

Dragging himself out of his thoughts to not rouse unwanted suspicion, Harry replied, "My friends and my godson I suppose, they're back in England".

Harry wondered how Teddy was, God, if he was even alive, Harry hadn't had much time with his Godson, but he truly did love him, and he desperately hoped for his safety.

At the silence following his statement, Harry rubbed his neck shyly, way to break the mood  _ Potter _ .

"I miss my vibrator".

Andrea's surprising statement had all the women laughing in shock; Harry himself could barely keep himself from cracking a grin.

Carol's whispered "me too" had Harry joining in on their laughter; he truly hadn't expected such a thing to come out of shy, modest  _ Carol's _ mouth. The women of the group seemed much better company over the others; maybe he'd stick with them a little - along with the Dixons, it seemed Merle had adopted him into their little group, perhaps due to his 'usefulness' as a wizard, however, Harry swore he'd get him to warm up to Harry if it was the last thing he did.

Famed Gryffindor stubbornness.

It seemed the sight and sound of happiness draw Ed is like a dementor as he stumbled over. The sigh of him subduing the little groups' happiness in record timing.

"What's so funny?"

Just the sound of the guy's voice had Harry fuming and on edge; he spoke like he was above them; one look at Carol had her cowering, Harry recognised the signs of abuse; he could because he would show the same signs. He could empathise, and it just made Harry's rage increased.

"Problem Ed?" By Andrea's tight voice, Harry assumed she also shared his distaste.

"Nothin' that concerns you. And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club".

Fuming, Harry stayed quiet; bullies like this thrived on attention, hopefully ignoring him would make Ed take his business elsewhere. Hopefully.

It seemed, however, that their continued silence had no effect on Ed and that Andrea had enough; Harry was starting to have enough too.

"Ed, tell you what… you don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." She tossed a shirt at him, and he threw it back with unnecessary aggression.

Carol's pleading to stop fell on deaf ears as Harry also got up; Ed had been giving him the creeps from the second Harry had gotten here, and Harry wasn't going to just watch as he pushed his wife or any other women around; he reminded Harry too much of Vernon - while he didn't expect him to have gone as far as Vernon ever did, any abuse was abuse.

"What is your job, Ed? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?"

"Well, it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch. Tell you what… come on. Let's go." Harry was tired of his shit and finally intervened; the way he called Carol left him antsy, 'come on like she was a  _ dog _ , it was disgusting.

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." Harry's voice was soft but firm; he peered into Ed's eyes straight on, burning him with his gaze.

"And I say it's none of your business. Come on now. You heard me." Ed's infuriating smirk was really starting to piss Harry off, and he'd finally had enough.

"Can you  _ grow _ _ up _ ? Are you so much of a coward that you have to beat up on your wife and child because you're too scared to take on anyone else?" 

Harry's words invoked silence.  _ Good _ .

"Hey, don't think I won't knock you on your ass just 'cause you're some posh little fag, All right? Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later."

Ed stormed forward to grab Carol, but Harry and the others united in front of her, pushing and scratching Ed to just  _ getaway.  _ Raising his arm, Ed bore a striking similarity to Vernon at that moment, and Harry just could not let him strike carol, not while he was there.

He stepped forward, shoving himself in front of Carol and his neck snapped to the right at the force of the hit, he'd had worse.

Gasps of horror surrounded Harry, but he only had eyes for this abusing piece of trash in front of him; while distracted trying to keep Carol safe, none of them had seen Shane trudging up behind Ed except  _ Harry did _ .

Harry pushed Ed back into Shane's awaiting rough grasp, and Shane  _ pummels _ him until his face is bloody and tinted yellow in bruises. The girls watch in horror as Shane mutilates Ed's face, but Harry can't help but be slightly satisfied.

However, Carol's begging for Shane to stop dampers Harry's mood. As a child, this was all he'd ever wanted, someone to pull Vernon away and have him feel what it was like to be a beaten bloody mess; Harry couldn't understand how Carol would ever let Ed hurt her or her child, Harry didn't have a choice in the matter, but she  _ did _ .

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me?!" Shane was practically spitting his words into Ed's face; perhaps this officer wasn't as bad as he thought.

Shane hisses one final, "I'll beat you to death, Ed." before storming back the way he came. Harry couldn't help but think he'd taken some previous anger he had out on Ed, but Harry felt it went to a better cause than it could have.

Despite the women worrying over his slapped face, Harry returned back to the Dixon's camp in a Pensieve state. Daryl was sitting by on a log by the fire with a bunch of small critters hanging from his shoulder; he looked like he'd not long arrived. Not wanting to interrupt since Daryl didn't seem like much of a talker, Harry went to hunker down into his tent.

"Yer face alrigh'?" Not seeing it coming Harry's confusion must have shown on his face as Daryl just huffed.

"I saw what happened down by the Quarry, am askin' if yer face is alrigh'"

Harry wouldn't lie; he was surprised at the apparent concern the younger Dixon was showcasing and squashed down the warm feeling in his chest the thought brought.

"Oh yeah, I've had much worse" Harry grinned.

"Besides, Ed hits like a girl, barely felt a thing" A raised eyebrow was all he received in return, and Harry could  _ feel _ the blush crawling onto his face and the tiny smirk tilting Daryl's lips confirmed he'd seen it too.

"Tell yer red face that, got a handprint just here" Dary lifted his hand as if to point at a small part of his face but instead vaguely gestured to his whole cheek. Harry barely resisted an eye roll and instead sat beside him by the fire.

"I just bruise easy that's all" Harry could've sworn Daryl's eyes darkened a little at the statement; while he wasn't certain  _ why,  _ he wouldn't deny it painted a very attractive look on his face - one that had Harry looking away as his face flushed  _ again _ . What was going on with him?

"Can I help?" 

Daryl seemed not to expect Harry's question - if his raised eyebrows had anything to say about it - but he shrugged in agreement anyway.

"Alrigh'"

So Harry learnt how to skin a squirrel, not something he'd ever planned on doing in his life but desperate times and all that. Surprisingly, Daryl was a good teacher; while not saying remarkably much, he still managed to teach Harry where to cut and how to make the skin peel off in one smooth movement. Gross but informative.

It was satisfying in a disgusting sort of way; he just had to ignore the blood dripping down his fingertips, staining his nails red.

He'd learnt how to tell whether the animal was safe for consumption by the colour over the liver; one squirrel was discarded due to it's off coloured liver, the two were quiet yet content in their silence.

"Teaching princess how ta' get 'er hands dirty huh littl' brother?"

Harry looked up to find merle leering down at the two of them; this time, he didn't try to stop his eye roll, his mumble of 'not a princess' falling on deaf ears  _ again _ .

Daryl felt the same way if the exaggerated sigh he let out had anything to say; he peered over Harry's shoulder to see his progress and let out an appreciative hum.

"Sure, 'princess' ain't doin' too terribly for a beginner" Harry barely kept his blush at bay, 'princess' felt different when Daryl said it, not as mocking as Merle, and it made that tingling in his stomach just a little bit stronger.

"For the last time, I'm not a princess" Harry's voice came out a little higher, his British accent more pronounced in his indignation.

"Alrigh'" Harry grinned with too many teeth victoriously at Merle, he'd gotten Daryl on his side. He wasn't a princess.

However, Merle just smirked, waiting for the other shoe to drop, apprehension settled in Harry's stomach.

"Since y'all won't shut up about this I'll settle this"

Harry waited with bated breath as Daryl gave him a slow once over and slated blue eyes seemed to bore into his very soul. He had to fight not to look away and break his penetrating gaze. Till finally, Daryl seemed satisfied.

"Kitten then".

At Harry's gasp of betrayed offence, Daryl just shrugged, amused and tired of their antics.

"Your hair flies everywhere like a wildcat 'n your pretty damn scrawny lookin' " Daryl casts a dubious look at Harry's skinny biceps. Curse his bloody size.

"So you got kitten, better than ' _ princess _ ' ain't it?" 

Merle just laughed raucously when Harry stuck his nose in the air with a huff, crossing his arms - looking more like a princess than ever. Daryl always seemed so quiet, who knew he had this in him. Bastard.

He'd just have to think of an equal or better yet more embarrassing nickname for Daryl. His murmured "Kitten isn't much better" once again fell on deaf ears, but Harry didn't much mind this time.

No matter how much he'd deny it, even Daryl cracked a little grin.

Damn Rednecks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I just have to apologise for going AWOL for a few days, I honestly think I got food poisoning which completely interrupted my life therefore I had to catch up on work and other things. You might've seen in the disclaimer, I've decided on an upload schedule! Exciting :).
> 
> So Harry has been properly introduced to Daryl! It's so hard not to make Daryl too off character. When Norman Reedus plays Daryl he plays him as if he's a virgin so I was curious how you guys think I should present him, I was leaning towards him being very closeted but seemingly unable to help himself when with Harry, not outright doing anything but teasing a little just to get a reaction - almost like a boy pulling on a girls pigtails. I'm hoping for most of the relationship development to happen at the prison (or at the time where they would be at the prison) but I still would love to know what you all think. 
> 
> Hehe, Daryl calling Harry 'kitten' i thought was a little OC but i'm pushing it more as Daryl being a teasing bastard, not flirting at this present time. However I did think it could foreshadow towards Harry's animals form, I'd love to know what you all think Harry's form should be, I was leaning towards a feline for an iconic "You really are a kitten! :0" scene but I still love your opinions.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your lovely comments! There's so many and there's already so many kudos I am so thankful for every single comment left! I love to chat in the comments with you, I hadn't replied to a few recently as i'd been feeling under the weather however I'll be getting to them ASAP. I was hoping with the new upload schedule, chapters could be longer, usually they are 3k (with this one being a little longer at 4k) but I'm leaning towards 6-9k per chapter so ya'll have more to look forward to, let me know what chapter lengths you all enjoy, I'd love to know
> 
> EDIT: Alot of y'all were asking about the magical population, I'd love to hear your opinions on this, I was thinking that most magical schools would've went on lock down, no one in, no one out and most magical districts would've been overrun as wards were meant to keep out the living and not the dead. Harry could then explore these districts trying to find other magical folk still out there. But i'd love to know your opinions, lmk what you think!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Let me know how ya'll would like me to present Daryl and Harry :)


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